The Best Homemade Playdough

There are tons of homemade playdough recipes out there floating around. I’ve had quite a few friends ask me for my recommendation, and I’m making it with my boys tomorrow . . . so I thought I’d share it. I’ve tried a few variations, but this is the one I like the best.

Here’s why I like it:

It’s simple. It’s quick. It’s easy.

A few warnings ahead of time:

Make sure you watch it closely once you begin to cook it. It can burn easily. Keep the heat on low.

When it’s done it’s pretty warm and needs to sit a while, so prepare your kids ahead of time. The first few times I did it, I forgot to warn Landon, and he was super pumped up about playing with it and disappointed when we had to wait to use it. My recommendation is to either make it ahead of time the night before, or do like I’m doing tomorrow, and just be honest up front, “We are going to make it now but play with it later.”

The recipe does a number on your pot or saucepan, so be prepared to soak and scrub the hell out of it.

Sara’s Favorite Homemade Playdough Recipe:

4 cups flour

1 cup salt

4 cups water

4 tablespoons of oil (vegetable oil works best)

4 tablespoons of cream of tartar

food coloring (as much as you need to reach the color you want)

Stir it all together. Heat it over low heat until you get the consistency you want (Nothing should look gooey). If you want to divide your playdough into different colors, wait to add the food coloring until you are done. Split it up as desired after you are done cooking, add food coloring and knead it in.

Happy playdoughing! Let me know if you have any questions in the comment section below.